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Niantic sexual bias lawsuit can proceed after judge blocks arbitration effort
Niantic attempted to avoid the sexual bias lawsuit going to trial. | Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge
A California judge ruled that a class-action sexual bias lawsuit against Niantic could proceed, blocking the Pokémon Go creator’s attempt to move the suit into arbitration.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle found that allegations raised by two female former employees regarding exposure to a hostile gender-based work environment were protected under the 2021 Ending Forced Arbitration Act.
Attorney Genie Harrison described the outcome as a “watershed moment for sexual harassment and gender bias cases.”
“The ruling is a watershed moment for sexual harassment and gender bias cases, because it clarifies that the protections of the 2021 Ending Forced Arbitration Act do indeed encompass cases in which sexual overtures are not…